The  Claws 
of  the  Tiger 


Gouverneur  Morris 


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I 


The 

Claws  of  the  Tiger 

Gouverneur  Morris 


INTERNATIONAL  MAGAZINE 
COMPANY 


NEW  YORK 


FOREWORD 


IHE  Claws  of  the  Tiger"  was  originally 


published  in  the  May,  1910,  issue  of 
A  Cosmopolitan  Magazine.  It  created 
instant  and  unusual  attention,  and  may 
fairly  be  regarded  as  the  best  short  story  of 
its  kind  ever  published  in  an  American 
magazine.  The  original  publication  has 
long  been  out  of  print,  and  the  continued 
demand  for  copies  has  prompted  us  to  re- 
print it  in  this  form. 

Mr.  Morris  has  written  a  story  of  well- 
nigh  perfect  technique,  and  anticipated  by 
just  three  years  the  problems  of  social  and 
political  evil  which  have  lately  come  to 
such  an  acute  climax  in  New  York  City  and 
other  large  communities. 

For  every  fallen  woman  there  were  fond 
parents  who  reverently  received  her  into  the 
world  with  visions  of  a  fairy  prince  to 
claim  her  in  marriage  and  of  a  future  filled 
with  honor  and  pride.  They  have  looked 
back  with  bitter  anguish  upon  the  warning 
they  neglected  to  give  when  it  might  have 
saved. 

Tf  only  one  parent  is  prompted  to  put  up 
the  danger  signal  after  reading  this  story, 
its  publication  will  not  have  been  in  vain. 


Copyright  1910 
International  Magazine  Co. 
New  York 
{Cosmopolitan  Magazine) 


The  Claws 

of  the  Tiger 

A  Story  of  "Organization"  Methods  in  New  York 

By 

Gouverneur  Morris 

W"-  HAT  her  given  name  was  in  the  old 
country  has  never  reached  me:  but  when 
i  _  i  her  family  had  learned  a  little  English, 
gS^S  and  had  begun  to  affect  the  manners  and 
characteristics  of  their  more  American- 
ized acquaintances,  they  called  her  Daisy.  She 
was  the  only  daughter;  her  age  was  less  than 
that  of  two  brothers,  and  she  was  older  than  three. 
The  family  consisted  of  these  six,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Obloski,  the  parents.  Grandfather  Pinnievitch,  and 
Great-grandmother  Brenda — a  woman  so  old,  so 
shrunken,  so  bearded,  and  so  eager  to  live  that  her 
like  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  city. 

Upon  settling  in  America  two  chief  problems 
seemed  to  confront  the  family;  to  make  a  living 
and  to  educate  the  five  boys.  The  first  problem 
was  solved  for  a  time  by  The  Organization.  Ob- 
loski was  told  by  an  interpreter  that  he  would 
be  taken  care  of  if  he  and  his  father-in-law  voted 
as  directed  and  as  often  as  is  decent  under  a  wise 
and  paternal  system  of  government.  To  Obloski, 
who  had  about  as  much  idea  what  the  franchise 
stands  for  as  The  Organization  had,  this  seemed 
an  agreeable  arrangement.  Work  was  found  for 
him,  at  a  wage.  He  worked  with  immense  vigor, 
for  the  wage  seemed  good.  Soon,  however,  he  per- 
ceived that  older  Americans  (of  his  own  nation- 
ality)  were  laughing  at   him.     Then  he  did  not 


8 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


work  so  hard;  but  the  wage,  froth  of  the  city  treas- 
ury, came  to  him  just  the  same.  He  ceased  work- 
ing and  pottering.  Still  he  received  pay.  He 
ceased  pottering.  He  joined  a  saloon.  And  he 
became  the  right-hand  man  of  a  right-hand  man 
of  a  right-hand  man  who  was  a  right-hand  man 
of  a  very  important  man  who  was — left  handed. 

The  two  older  boys  were  at  school  in  a  school; 
the  three  others  were  at  school  in  the  street.  Mrs. 
Obloski  was  occupied  with  a  seventh  child,  whose 
sex  was  not  yet  determined.  Grandfather  Pinnie- 
vitch  was  learning  to  smoke  three  cigars  for  five 
cents;  and  Great-grandmother  Brenda  sat  in  the 
sun,  stroking  her  beard,  and  clinging  to  life.  Nose 
and  chin  almost  obstructed  the  direct  passage  to 
Mrs.  Brenda's  mouth.  She  looked  as  if  she  had 
gone  far  in  an  attempt  to  smell  her  own  chin,  and 
would  soon  succeed. 

But  for  Daisy  there  was  neither  school,  nor  play 
in  the  street,  nor  sitting  in  the  sun.  She  cooked,  and 
she  washed  the  dishes,  and  she  did  the  mending, 
and  she  made  the  beds,  and  she  slept  in  one  of 
the  beds  with  her  three  younger  brothers.  In  spite 
the  great  wage  so  easily  won,  the  Obloskis  were 
very  poor,  for  New  York.  All  would  be  well  when 
the  two  older  boys  had  finished  school  and  begun 
to  vote.  They  were  thirteen  and  fourteen,  but  the 
school  records  had  them  as  fifteen  and  sixteen,  for 
the  interpreter  had  explained  to  their  father  that 
a  man  cannot  vote  until  he  is  twenty-one. 

Daisy  was  twelve,  but  she  had  room  in  her  heart  * 
for  all  her  family,  and  for  a  doll  besides.  This 
was  of  rags;  and  on  the  way  from  Castle  Garden 
to  the  tenement  she  had  found  it,  neglected,  for- 
saken— starving,  perhaps — in  a  gutter.  In  its 
single  garment,  in  its  woolen  hair,  and  upon  its 
maculate  body  the  doll  carried,  perhaps,  the  germs 
of  typhoid,  of  pneumonia,  of  tetanus,  and  of  con- 
sumption; but  all  night  it  lay  in  the  arms  of  its 
little  mother,  and  was  not  permitted  to  harm  her 
or  hers. 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER  9 


The  Obloskis,  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Brenda. 
were  a  handsome  family — the  grandfather,  indeed, 
was  an  old  beauty  in  his  way,  with  streaming 
white  hair  and  beard,  and  eyes  that  reminded  you 
of  locomotive  headlights  seen  far  off  down  a  dark 
tunnel;  but  their  good  features  were  marred  by  an 
expression  of  hardness,  of  greed,  of- unsatisfied  de- 
sire. And  Mr.  Obloski's  face  was  beginning  to 
bloat  with  drink.  It  was  only  natural  that  Daisy, 
upon  whom  all  the  work  was  put,  should  have  been 
too  busy  to  look  hard  or  greedy.  She  had  no  time 
to  brood  upon  life,  or  to  think  upon  unattainable 
things.  She  had  only  time  to  cook,  time  to  wash 
the  dishes,  to  mend  the  clothes,  to  make  the  beds, 
and  to  play  the  mother  to  her  little  brothers  and 
to  her  doll.  And  so,  and  naturally,  as  the  skin 
upon  her  little  hands  thickened  and  grew  rough 
and  red,  the  expression  in  her  great  eyes  became 
more  and  more  luminous,  translucent,  and  joyous. 

Even  to  a  class  of  people  whose  standards  of 
beauty  differ,  perhaps  from  ours,  she  promised 
to  be  very  beautiful.  She  was  a  brown-and-crim- 
son  beauty,  with  ocean-blue  eyes  and  teeth  dazzling 
white  like  the  snow  on  mountains  when  the  sun 
shines.  And  though  she  was  only  twelve,  her  name, 
underlined,  was  in  the  note-book  of  many  an  am- 
bitious young  man. 

As  Obloski  became  more  useful  to  the  great 
organization  that  owned  him  he  received  propor- 
tionately larger  pay:  but  as  he  drank  proportion- 
ately more,  his  family  remained  in  much  its  usual 
straits.  Presently  Obloski  fell  off  in  utility,  al- 
lowing choice  newly  landed  men  of  his  nationality 
to  miss  the  polls.  Then  strange  things  happened. 
The  great  man  (who  was  left-handed)  spoke  an 
order  mingled  with  the  awful  names  of  gods.  Then 
certain  shares,  underwritten  by  his  right-hand 
man,  clamored  for  promised  cash.  A  blue  pallor 
appeared  in  the  cheeks  of  the  right-hand  man.  and 
he  spoke  an  order,  so  that  a  contract  for  leaving 
the  pavement  of  a  certain  city  street  exactly  a?  it 


10 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


was  went  elsewhere.  The  defrauded  contractor 
swore  very  bitterly,  and  reduced  the  salary  of  his 
right-hand  man.  This  one  caused  a  raid  of  police 
to  ascend  into  the  disorderly  house  of  his.  This 
one  in  turn  punished  his  right-hand  man;  until 
finally  the  lowest  of  all  in  the  scale,  save  only  Mr. 
Obloski,  remarked  to  the  latter,  pressing  for  his 
wage,  that  money  was  "  heap  scarce. "  And  Mr. 
Obloski,  upon  opening  his  envelope,  discovered  that 
it  contained  but  the  half  of  that  to  which  he  had 
accustomed  his  appetite.  Than  Obloski  there  was 
none  lower.  Therefore,  to  pass  on  the  shiver  of 
pain  that  had  descended  to  him  from  the  throne, 
he  worked  upon  his  feelings  with  raw  whiskey, 
then  went  home  to  his  family  and  broke  its  work- 
ing to  bits.  Daisy  should  go  sit  in  an  employ- 
ment agency  until  she  was  employed  and  earning 
money.  The  youngest  boy  and  the  next  youngest 
should  sell  newspapers  upon  the  street.  Mrs.  Ob- 
loski should  stop  mourning  for  the  baby  which  she 
had  rolled  into  a  better  world  three  years  before, 
and  do  the  housework.  The  better  to  fit  her  for 
this,  for  she  was  lazy  and  not  strong,  he  kicked 
her  in  the  ribs  until  she  fainted,  and  removed 
thereby  any  possibility  of  her  making  good  the 
loss  for  which  her  proneness  to  luxurious  rolling 
had  been  directly  responsible. 

So  Daisy,  who  was  now  nearly  sixteen,  went 
to  sit  with  other  young  women  in  a  row;  some 
were  older  than  she,  one  or  two  younger;  but  no 
one  of  the  others  was  lovely  to  look  at  or  had  a 
joyous  face. 

II 


f^^^^  FTER  about  an  hour's  waiting  in  an  at- 
I  I   mosphere  of  sour  garments  disguised  by 

L— «J    cheap    perfumery,    employment    came  to 
|Jg5igp25j    Daisy  in  the  stout  form  of  a  middle-aged, 
showily     dressed     woman,     decisive  in 
speech,  and  rich,  apparently,  who  desired  a  waitress. 
"  I  want  something  cheap  and  green, "  she  ex- 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


11 


plained  to  the  manager.  "  I  form  'em  then  to  suit 
myself. "  Her  eyes,  small,  quick,  and  decided, 
flashed  along  the  row  of  candidates,  and  selected 
Daisy  without  so  much  as  one  glance  at  the  next 
girl  beyond.  "There's  my  article,  Mrs.  Goldsmith," 
she  said. 

Mrs.  Goldsmith  shook  her  head  and  whispered 
something. 

The  wealthy  lady  frowned.  "Seventy-five?"  she 
said.    "  That's  ridiculous.  " 

"My  Gott!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Goldsmith.  "Ain't 
she  fresh?  Loog  at  her.  Ain't  she  a  fresh,  sweet 
liddle  thing?" 

"  Well,  she  looks  fresh  enough, "  said  the-  lady, 
"  but  I  don't  go  on  looks.  But  I'll  soon  find  out 
if  what  you  say  is  true.  And  then  I'll  pay  you 
seventy-five.  Meanwhile  " — as  Mrs.  Goldsmith  be- 
gan to  protest — "  there's  nothing  in  it — nothing  in 
it. " 

"  But  I  haf  your  bromice — to  pay  up." 
The  lady  bowed  grandly. 

"You  are  sooch  an  old  customer — "  Thus  Mrs. 
Goldsmith  explained  her  weakness  in  yielding. 

Daisy,  carrying  her  few  possessions  in  a  news- 
paper bundle,  walked  lightly  at  the  side  of  her  new 
employer. 

"  My  name  is  Mrs.  Holt,  Daisy, "  said  the  lady. 
"  And  I  think  we'll  hit  things  off,  if  you  always 
try  to  do  just  what  I  tell  you." 

Daisy  was  in  high  spirits.  It  was  wonderful 
to  have  found  work  so  easily  and  so  soon.  She 
was  to.  receive  three  dollars  a  week.  She  could  not 
understand  her  good  fortune.  Again  and  again 
Mrs.  Holt's  hard  eyes  flicked  over  the  joyous, 
brightly  colored  young  face.  Less  often  an  ex- 
pression not  altogether  hard  accompanied  such  sur- 
veys. For  although  Mrs.  Holt  knew  that  she  had 
found  a  pearl  among  swine  her  feelings  of  elation 
were  not  altogether  free  from  a  curious  and  most 
unaccustomed  tinge  of  regret. 

"  But  I  must  get  you  a  better  dress  than  that,  " 


12  THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


she  said.  "  I  want  my  help  to  look  cared  for,  and 
smart.  I  don't  mean  you're  not  neat  and  clean 
looking;  but  maybe  you've  something  newer  and 
nicer  in  your  bundle. 

"  Oh,  yes, "  said  Daisy.  "  I  have  my  Sunday 
dress.    That  is  almost  new.  " 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Holt,  "  I'll  have  a  look  at  it. 
This  is  where  I  live.  " 

She  opened  the  front  door  with  a  latch-key;  and 
to  Daisy  it  seemed  as  if  paradise  had  been  opened' 
— from  the  carved  walnut  rack,  upon  which  enter- 
ing angels  might  hang  their  hats  and  coats,  to  the 
carpet  upon  the  stair  and  the  curtains  of  purple 
plush  that,  slightly  parted,  disclosed  glimpses  of 
an  inner  and  more  sumptuous  paradise  upon  the 
right — a  grand  crayon  of  Mrs.  Holt  herself,  life 
size,  upon  an  easel  of  bamboo:  chairs  and  sofas 
with  tremendously  stuffed  seats  and  backs  and  arms, 
a  tapestry-work  fire-screen — a  purple  poppy  against 
a  pink-and-yellow  ground. 

"  I'll  take  you  up  to  your  room  right  off,  "  said 
Mrs.  Holt,  "  and  you  can  show  me  your  other  dress, 
and  I'll  tell  you  if  it's  nice  enough. 

So  up  they  went  three  flights.  But  it  was  in 
no  garret  that  Daisy  was  to  sleep.  Mrs.  Holt 
conducted  her  into  a  large,  high-ceilinged,  old- 
fashioned  room.  To  be  sure,  it  was  ill  lighted, 
and  ill  ventilated — giving  on  a  court;  but  its  fur- 
niture, from  the  marble-topped  wash-stand  to  the 
great  double  bed,  was  very  grand  and  overpower- 
ing. Daisy  could  only  gape  with  wonder  and  de- 
light. To  call  such  a  room  her  own,  to  earn  three 
dollars  a  week — with  a  golden  promise  of  more 
later  on  if  she  proved  a  good  girl — it  was  all  very 
much  too  wonderful  to  be  true. 

"  Now,  Daisy,'  let  me  see  your  Sunday  dress — 
open  the  bundle  on  the  bed  there.  " 

Daisy,  obedient  and  swift  (but  blushing,  for  she 
knew  that  her  dress  would  look  very  humble  in 
such  surroundings),  untied  the  string  and  opened 
the  parcel.    But  it  was  not  the  Sunday  dress  that 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER  13 


caught  Mrs.  Holt's  eye.  She  spoke  in  the  voice 
of  one  the  most  of  whose  breath  has  suddenly  been 
snatched  away. 

"  And  what,  "  she  exclaimed,  "  for  mercy  sake,  is 
that?" 

"  That, "  said  Daisy,  already  in  an  anguish  lest 
it  be  taken  from  her,  "  is  my  doll.  " 

Mrs.  Holt  took  the  doll  in  her  hands,  and  turned 
it  over  and  back.  She  looked  at  it,  her  head  bent 
for  quite  a  long  time.  Then,  all  of  a  sudden, 
she  made  a  curious  sound  in  the  back  of  her  throat 
that  sounded  like  a  cross  between  a  choke  and  a  sob. 
Then    she    spoke    swiftly — and    like    one  ashamed 

"  You  won't  suit  me,  girlie — I  can  see  that.  Wrap 
up  those  things  again,  and —  No  you  musn't  go 
back,  to  Goldsmith's — she's  a  bad  woman — you 
wouldn't  understand.  Can't  you  go  back  home? 
No?      .      .      .      They  need  what  you  can  earn. 

Here,  you  go  to  Hauptman's  employ- 
ment agency  and  tell  him  I  sent  you.  No 
You're  too  blazing  innocent.  I'll  go  with  you. 
I've  got  some  influence.  I'll  see  to  it  that  he  gets 
a  job  for  you  from  some  one  who — who'll  let  you 
alone.  " 

"  But, "'  said  Daisy,  gone  quite  white  with  dis- 
appointment, "  I  would  have  tried  so  hard  to  please 
you,  Mrs.  Holt.    I — " 

"  You  don't  know  what  you're  saying,  child, " 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Holt.  "  I — I  don't  need  you.  I've 
got  trouble  here.  "  She  touched  what  appeared  to 
be  an  ample  bosom.  "  One  half's  the  real  thing, 
and  one  half's  just  padding.  I'm  not  long  for  this 
world,  and  you've  cost  me  a  pretty  penny,  my  dear; 
but  it's  all  right.    I  don't  need  you!" 

So  Mrs.  Holt  took  Daisy  to  Hauptman's  agency. 
And  he,  standing  in  fear  of  Mrs.  Holt,  found  em- 
ployment for  her  as  waitress  in  a  Polish  restau- 
rant. Here  the  work  was  cruel  and  hard,  and  the 
management  thunderous  and  savage;  but  the  dan- 
gers of  the  place  were  not  machine  made,  and 
Daisy  could  sleep  at  home. 


14  THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


III 

AISY  had  not  been  at  work  in  the  restau- 
rant many  weeks  before  the  proprietor 
perceived   that   business  was  increasing. 
The  four  tables  to  which  Daisy  attended 
were  nearly  always  full,  and  the  other 
waitresses    were    beginning    to    show  symptoms 
of    jealousy    and    nerves.      More    dishes  were 
smashed;  more  orders  went  wrong;  and  Daisy,  a 
smooth,  quick,  eager  worker,  was  frequently  de- 
layed and  thrown  out  of  her  stride,  so  to  speak, 
by  malicious  stratagems  and  tricks.     But  Linne- 
vitch,  the  proprietor,  had  a  clear  mind  and  an  ex- 
cellent knowledge  of  human  nature.     He  got  rid 
of  his  cash-girl,  and  put  Daisy  in  her  place;  and 
this  in  face  of  the  fact  that  Daisy  had  had  the 
scantiest   practice   with    figures   and   was   at  first 
dismally  slow  in  the  making  of  change.    But  Lin- 
nevitch   bore  with  her,   and   encouraged   her.  If 
now  and  then  she  made  too  much  change,  he  for- 
gave her.    He  had  only  to  look  at  the  full  tables 
to  forget.    For  every  nickel  that  she  lost  for  him, 
she  brought  a  new  customer.    And  soon,  too,  she 
became  at  ease  with  money,  and  sure  of  her  sub- 
traction.   Linnevitch  advanced  her  sufficient  funds 
to  buy  a  neat  black  dress;  he  insisted  that  she 
wear  a  white  turn-over  collar  and  white  cuffs.  The 
plain  severity  of  this  costume  set  off  the  bright 
coloring  of  her  face  and   hair  to  wonderful  ad- 
vantage.    In  the  dingy,  ill-lighted  restaurant  she 
was  like  that  serene,  golden,   glowing  light  that 
Rembrandt  alone  has  known  how  to  place  among 
shadows.    And  her  temper  was  so  sweet,  and  her 
disposition  so  childlike  and  gentle,  that  one  by  one 
the  waitresses  who  hated  her  for  her  popularity  and 
her  quick  success  forgave  her  and  began  to  like  her. 
They   discussed   her   a   great   deal   among  them- 
selves, and  wondered  what  would  become  of  her. 
Something  good,   thejr  prophesied;   for  under  all 
the  guilelessness  and  simplicity  she  was  able.  And 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


15 


you  had  to  look  but  once  into  those  eyes  to  know 
that  she  was  string-straight.  Among  the  waitresses 
was  no  very  potent  or  instructed  imagination. 
They  could  not  formulate  the  steps  upon  which 
Daisy  should  rise,  nor  name  the  happy  height .  to 
which  she  should  ascend.  They  knew  that  she 
was  exceptional:  no  common  pottery  like  them- 
selves, but  of  that  fine  clay  of  which  even  porce- 
lain is  made.  It  was  common  talk  among  them 
that  Linnevitch  was  in  love  with  her;  and,  recall- 
ing what  had  been  the  event  in  the  case  of  the 
Barnhelm  girl,  and  of  Lotta  Gorski,  they  knew 
that  Linnevitch  sometime  put  pleasure  ahead  of 
business.  Yet  it  was  their  common  belief  that  the 
more  he  pined  after  Daisy  the  less  she  had  to  fear 
from  him. 

A  new  look  had  come  into  the  man's  protrud- 
ing eyes.  Either  prosperity  or  Daisy,  or  both,  had 
changed  him  for  the  better.  The  place  no  longer 
echoed  with  thunderous  assaults  upon  slight  faults. 
The  words,  "If  you  will  please,  Helena";  "Well, 
well,  pick  it  up,  "  fell  now  from  his  lips,  or  the  even 
more  reassuring  and  courteous,  "  Never  mind;  I 
say,  never  mind.  " 

Meanwhile,  if  her  position  and  work  in  the  res- 
taurant were  pleasant  enough,  Daisy's  evenings 
and  nights  at  home  were  hard  to  bear.  Her 
mother,  sick,  bitter,  and  made  to  work  against 
her  will,  had  no  tolerant  words  for  her.  Grand- 
father Pinnievitch,  deprived  of  even  pipe-tobacco 
by  his  bibulous  son-in-law,  whined  and  complained 
by  the  hour.  Old  Mrs.  Brenda  declared  that  she 
was  being  starved  to  death,  and  she  reviled  who- 
ever came  near  her.  The  oldest  boy  had  left 
school  in  disgrace,  together  with  a  classmate  of 
the  opposite  sex,  whom  he  abandoned  shortly  at 
a  profit.  The  family  had  turned  him  off  at  first; 
had  then  seen  that  he  had  in  spite  of  this  an  air 
of  prosperity;  invited  him  to  live  at  home  once 
more,  and  were  told  that  he  was  done  with  them. 
His  first    venture    in    the    business    of  pandering 


16 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


had  been,  a  success;  a  company,  always  on  the 
lookout  for  bright  young  men,  offered  him  good 
pay,  work  intricate  but  interesting,  and  that  protec- 
tion without  which  crime  would  not  be  profitable. 

Yes,  in  the  secure  shadow  of  The  Organization's 
secret  dark  wings,  there  was  room  even  for  this 
obscure  young 'Pole,  fatherless,  now,  and  mother- 
less. For  The  Organization  stands  at  the  gates  of 
the  young  Republic  to  welcome  in  the  unfortunate 
of  all  nations,  to  find  work  for  them,  and  security. 
Let  your  bent  be  what  it  will,  if  only  you  will  serve 
the  master,  young  immigrant,  you  may  safely  fol- 
low that  bent  to  the  uttermost  dregs  in  which  it 
ends.  Whatever  you  wish  to  be,  that  you  may  be- 
come, provided  only  that  your  ambition  is  sordid, 
criminal,  and  unchaste. 

Mr.  Obloski  was  now  an  incorrigible  drunkard. 
He  could  no  longer  be  relied  on  to  cast  even  his 
own  vote  once,  should  the  occasion  for  voting  arise. 
So  the  great  Organization  spat  Obloski  aside.  He 
threatened  certain  reprisals  and  tale-bearings.  He 
was  promptly  arrested  for  a  theft  which  not  only 
he  had  not  committed,  but  which  had  never  been 
committed  at  all.  The  Organization  spared  itself 
the  expense  of  actually  putting  him  in  jail;  but  he 
had  felt  the  power  of  the  claws.  He  would  threaten 
no  more. 

To  support  the  family  on  -Daisy's  earnings  and 
the  younger  boys'  newspaper  sellings,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  keep  drunk  from  morning  to  night, 
taxed  his  talents  to  the  utmost.  There  were  times 
when  he  had  to  give  blows  instead  of  bread.  But 
he  did  his  best,  and  was  as  patient  and  long-suffering 
as  possible  with  those  who  sapped  his  income  and 
kept  him  down. 

One  night,  in  a  peculiarly  speculative  mood,  he 
addressed  his  business  instincts  to  Daisy.  "  Four- 
teen dollars  a  month!"  he  said.  "And  there  are 
girls  without  half  your  looks — right  here  in  this 
city — that  earn  as  much  in  a  night.  What  good 
are  you? " 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER  17 


I  cannot  say  that  Daisy  was  so  innocent  as  not 
to  gather  his  meaning.  She  sat  and  looked  at  him,  a 
terrible  pathos  in  her  great  eyes,  and  said  nothing. 

"Well,"  said  her  father,  "what  good  are  you?" 

"  No  good,  "  said  Daisy  gently. 

That  night  she  hugged  her  old  doll  to  her  breast 
and  wept  bitterly,  but  very  quietly,  so  as  not  to 
waken  her  brother.  The  next  morning,  very  early, 
she  made  a  parcel  of  her  belongings,  and  carried 
it  with  her  to  the  restaurant.  The  glass  door  with 
its  dingy  gilt  lettering  was  being  unlocked  for  the 
day  by  Mr.  Linnevitch.  He  was  surprised  to  see 
her  a  full  half-hour  before  opening  time. 

"  Mr.  Linnevitch, "  said  Daisy,  "  things  are  so 
that  I  can't  stay  at  home  any  more.  I  will  send 
them  the  money,  but  I  have  to  find  another  place 
to  live.  " 

"  We  got  a  little  room,  "  he  said,  "  you  can  have 
if  Mrs.  Linnevitch  says  so.  I  was  going  to  give 
you  more  pay.  We  give  you  that'  room  instead 
—eh?" 

Mrs.  Linnevitch  gave  her  consent.  She  was  a 
dreary,  weary  woman  of  American  birth.  When 
she  was  alone  with  her  husband  she  never  upbraided 
him  for  his  infidelities,  or  referred  to  them.  But 
later,  on  this  particular  day,  having  a  chance  to 
speak,  she  said: 

"  I  hope  you  ain't  going  to  bother  this  one, 
Linne?  " 

He  patted  his  wife's  bony  back,  and  shook  his 
head.  "  The  better  as  I  know  that  girl,  Minnie,  " 
he  said,  "  the  sorrier  I  am  for  what  I  used  to  be 
doing  sometimes.  You  and  her  is  going  to  have  a 
square  deal.  " 

"I  bin  up  to  put  her  room  straight,"  said  Mrs. 
Linnevitch.    "She's  got  a  doll." 

She  delivered  this  for  what  it  was  worth,  in  an 
uninterested,  emotionless  voice. 

"  I  tell  you  what  she  ought  to  have  got,  "  said  her 
husband.  "  She  ought  to  have  got  now  a  good  hus- 
band, and  some  live  dolls — eh?" 


18 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


IV 


EW  customers  were  not  uncommon  in  the 
restaurant,  but  the  young  man  who 
dropped  in  for  noon  dinner  upon  the  fol- 
lowing Friday  was  of  a  plumage  gayer 
than  any  to  which  the  waitresses  and 
habitues  of  the  place  were  accustomed.  To  Daisy, 
sitting  at  her  high  cashier's  desk  like  a  young 
queen  enthroned,  he  seemed  to  have  something 
of  the  nature  of  a  prince  from  a  far  country. 
She  watched  him  eat.  She  saw  in  his  cuffs  the 
glint  of  gold;  she  noted  with  what  elegance  he  held 
his  little  ringers  aloof  from  his  hands.  She  noted 
the  polish  and  cleanliness  of  his  nails,  the  short- 
ness of  his  recent  hair-cut,  the  great  breadth  of 
his  shoulders  (they  were  his  coat's  shoulders,  but 
she  did  not  know  this),  the  narrowness  of  his  waist, 
the  interesting  pallor  of  his  face. 

Not  until  the  restaurant  was  filled  did  anyone 
have  the  audacity  to  sit  at  the  stranger's  table. 
His  elegance  and  refinement  were  as  a  barrier  be- 
tween him  and  all  that  was  rude  and  coarse.  If 
he  glanced  about  the  place,  taking  notes  in  his 
turn  of  this  and  that,  it  was  covertly  and  quietly 
and  without  offense.  His  eyes  passed  across 
Daisy's  without  resting  or  any  show  of  interest. 
Once  or  twice  he  spoke  quietly  to  the  girl  who 
waited  on  him,  his  eyebrows  slightly  raised,  as  if 
he  were  finding  fault  but  without  anger.  For  the 
first  time  in  her  life  Daisy  had  a  sensation  of 
jealousy;  but  in  the  pale  nostalgic  form,  rather 
than  the  yellow  corrosive. 

Though  the  interesting  stranger  had  been  one  of 
the  earliest  arrivals,  he  ate  slowly,  busied  himself 
with  important-looking  papers  out  of  his  coat 
pockets,  and  was  the  last  to  go.  He  paid  his  bill, 
and  if  he  looked  at  Daisy  while  she  made  change 
it  was  in  an  absent-minded,  uninterested  way. 

She  had  an  access  of  boldness.  "  I  hope  you 
liked  your  dinner,  "  she  said. 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER  19 


"I?"  The  young  man  came  out  of  the  clouds. 
"  Oh,  yes.  Very  nice. "  He  thanked  her  as  cour- 
teously for  his  change  as  if  his  receiving  any  at 
all  was  purely  a  matter  for  her  discretion  to  de- 
cide, wished  her  good  afternoon,  and  went  out  . 

The  waitresses  were  gathered  about  the  one  who 
had  served  the  stranger.  It  seemed  that  he  had  made 
her  a  present  of  a  dime.  It  was  vaguely  known  that 
up-town,  in  more  favored  restaurants,  a  system  of 
tipping  prevailed;  but  in  Linnevitch' s  this  was  the 
first  instance  in  a  long  history.  The  stranger's  stock, 
as  they  say,  went  up  by  leaps  and  bounds.  Then,  on 
removing  the  cloth  from  the  table  at  which  he  had 
dined,  there  was  discovered  a  heart-shaped  locket 
that  resembled  gold.  The  girls  were  for  opening  it, 
and  at  least  one  ill-kept  thumbnail  was  painfully 
broken  over  backward  in  the  attempt.  Daisy  joined 
the  group.  She  was  authoritative  for  the  first  time 
in  her  life. 

"  He  wouldn't  like  us  to  open  it,  "  she  said. 

A  dispute  arose;  presently  a  clamor.  Linnevitch 
came  in.    There  was  a  silence. 

Linnevitch  examined  the  locket.  "  Trible-plate,  " 
he  said  judicially.  "Maybe  there's  a -name  and  ad- 
dress inside.  "  As  the  locket  opened  for  his  strong 
thumb-nail,  Daisy  gave  out  a  little  sound  as  of  pain. 
Linnevitch  stood  looking  into  the  locket,  smiling. 

"  Only  hair,"  he  said  presently,  and  closed  the 
thing  with  a  snap.  "  Put  that  in  the  cash-drawer,  " 
he  said,  "until  it  is  called  for." 

Daisy  turned  the  key  on  the  locket,  and  wondered 
what  color  the  hair  was.  The  stranger,  of  course, 
had  a  sweetheart,  and  of  course  the  hair  was  hers. 
Was  it  brown,  chestnut,  red,  blond,  black?  Beneath 
each  of  these  colors  in  turn  she  imagined  a  face. 

Long  before  the  first  habitues  had  arrived  for  sup- 
per Daisy  was  at  her  place.  All  the  afternoon  her 
imagination  had  been  so  fed,  and  her  curiosity  there- 
by so  aroused,  that  she  was  prepared,  in  the  face  of 
what  she  knew  at  heart  was  proper,  to  open  the 
locket  and  see,  at  least,  the  color  of  the  magic  hair. 


20 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


But  she  still  hesitated,  and  for  a  long  time.  Finally, 
however,  overmastered,  she  drew  out  the  cash  drawer 
a  little  way,  and  managed  without  taking  it  out  to 
open  the  locket.  The  lock  of  hair  which  it  con- 
tained was  white  as  snow. 

Daisy  rested,  chin  on  hands,  looking  into  space. 
She  had  almost  always  been  happy  in  a  negative  way, 
or,  better,  contented.  Now  she  was  positively  happy. 
But  she  could  not  have  explained  why.  She  had 
closed  the  locket  gently  and  tenderly,  revering  the 
white  hairs  and  the  filial  piety  that  had  enshrined 
them  in  gold  ("triple-plated  gold,  at  that!").  And 
when  presently  the  stranger  entered  to  recover  his 
property  Daisy  felt  as  if  she  had  always  known  him, 
and  that  there  was  nothing  to  know  of  him  but  good. 

He  was  greatly  and  gravely  concerned  for  his  loss, 
but  when  Daisy,  without  speaking,  opened  the  cash- 
drawer  and  handed  him  his  property  he  gave  her  a 
brilliant  smile  of  gratitude. 

"  One  of  the  girls  found  it  under  your  table,  "  she 
said. 

"Is  she  here  now?"  he  asked,  "But  never  mind; 

you'll  thank  her  for  'me,  won't  you?    And  "  A 

hand  that  seemed  wonderfully  ready  for  financial 
emergencies  slipped  into  a  trousers  pocket,  and 
pulled  from  a  great  roll  of  various  denominations  a 
dollar  bill.  "  Thank  her  and  give  her  that,  "  he  said. 
Then,  and  thus  belittling  the  transaction,  "  I  have  to 
be  in  this  part  of  the  city  quite  often  on  business,  " 
he  said,  "  and  I  don't  mind  saying  that  I  like  to  take 
my  meals  among  honest  people.  You  can  tell  the 
boss  that  I  intend  to  patronize  this  place. 

He  turned  to  go;  but  the  fact  that  she  had  been  in- 
cluded as  being  one  of  honest  people  troubled  Daisy. 

"  Excuse  me,  "  she  said.  He  turned  back.  "  It  was 
wrong  for  me  to  do  it,  "  she  said,  blushing  deeply, 
and  looking  him  full  in  the  face  with  her  great 
honest  eyes.  "  I  opened  your  locket.  And  looked  in." 

"  Did  you?  "  s?id  the  young  man.  He  did  not  seem 
to  mind  in  the  least.  "  I  do,  often.  That  lock  of 
hair,  "  he  said,  rather  solemn  now,  and  a  little  sad, 
perhaps,  "  was  my  mother's.  " 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER  21 


He  now  allowed  his  eyes  to  rest  on  Daisy's  beauti- 
ful face  for,  perhaps,  the  first  time. 

"  In  a  city  like  this, "  he  said,  "  there's  always 
temptations  to  do  wrong,  but  I  think  having  this  " 
(he  touched  his  breast  pocket  where  the  locket  was) 
"  helps  me  to  do  what  mother  would  have  liked 
me  to.  " 

He  brushed  the  corner  of  one  eye  with  the  back  of 
his  hand.  Perhaps  there  was  a  tear  in  it.  Perhaps 
a  cinder. 

V 

T  came  to  be  known  in  the  restaurant  that 
the  stranger's  name  was  Barstow;  and 
very  soon  he  had  ceased  to  be  a  stranger. 
His  business  in  that  quarter  of  the  city, 
whatever  it  may  have  been,  was  at  first 
intermittent;  he  would  take,  perhaps,  three  meals  in 
a  week  at  Linnevitch's;  latterly  he  often  came  twice 
in  one  day.  Always  orderly  and  quiet,  Barstow  grad- 
ually, however,  established  pleasant  and  even  joking 
terms  with  the  waitresses.  But  with  Daisy  he  never 
joked.  He  called  the  other  girls  by  their  first  names, 
as  became  a  social  superior;  but  Daisy  was  always 
Miss  Obloski  to  him.  With  Linnevitch  alone  he 
made  no  headway.  Linnevitch  maintained  a  pointed- 
ly surly  and  repellant  attitude,  as  if  he  really  wished 
to  turn  away  a  profitable  patronage.  And  Barstow 
learned  to  leave  the  proprietor  severly  alone. 

One  night,  after  Barstow  had  received  his  change, 
he  remained  for  a  few  minutes  talking  with  Daisy. 
"  What  do  you  find  to  do  with  yourself  evenings, 
Miss  Obloski?"  he  asked. 

"  I  generally  sit  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linnevitch  and 
sew,"  she  answered. 

"That's  not  a  very  exciting  life  for  a  young  lady. 
Don't  you  ever  take  a  show  in  or  go  to  a  dance?" 
She  shook  her  head. 
"  Don't  you  like  to  dance?  " 

"I  know  I'd  like  it,"  she  said  with  enthusiasm; 
"  but  I  never  had  a  chance  to  try. " 


22  THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


"You  haven't!"  exclaimed  Barstow.  "What  a 
shame!  Some  night,  if  you  like,  I'll  take  you  to  an 
academy — a  nice  quiet  one,  mostly  for  beginners — 
where  they  give  lessons.  If  you'd  like,  I'll  teach 
you  myself.  " 

Delight  showed  in  Daisy's  face. 

"Good!"  said  Barstow.  "It's  a  go.  How  about 
to-ni — "  He  broke  off  short.  Linnevitch,  very  surly 
and  very  big,  was  within  hearing,  although  his  at- 
tention appeared  elsewhere. 

"Some  time  soon,  then,"  said  Barstow  in  a  lower 
voice,  and  aloud,   "  Well,  good  night,  Miss  Obloski." 

Her  eyes  were  upon  the  glass  door  and  the  dark- 
ness beyond  into  which  Barstow  had  disappeared. 
She  was  returned  to  earth  by  Linnevitch's  voice 
close  to  her  ear.    It  was  gentle,  and  understanding. 

"You  like  dot  feller— eh?" 

Daisy  blushed  very  crimson,  but  her  great  eyes 
were  steadfast  and  without  guile.  "  I  like  him  very 
much,  Mr.  Linnevitch.  " 

"  Not  too  much — eh?  " 

Daisy  did  not  answer.  She  did  not  know  the 
answer. 

"  Liddle  girl,  "  said  Linnevitch  kindly,  "  you  don't 
konw  noddings.  What  was  he  saying  to  you  just 
now?" 

"  He  said  some  evening  he'd  take  me  to  an  acad- 
emy and  learn  me  dancing,  "  said  Daisy. 

"He  said  dot,  did  he?"  said  Linnevitch.  "I  say 
don't  have  nodding  to  do  with  them  academies.  You 
ask  Mrs.  Linnevitch  to  tell  you  some  stories — eh?" 

"  But  he  didn't  mean  a  regular  dance-hall, "  said 
Daisy.    "  He  said  a  place  for  beginners.  " 

"For  beginners!"  said  Linnevitch,  with  infinite 
sarcasm.  And  then  with  a  really  tender  paternalism, 
"  If  I  am  your  father.  I  beat  you  sometimes  for  a 
liddle  fool— eh?" 

Mrs.  Linnevitch  was  more  explicit.  "  I've  knowed 
hundreds 'of  girls  that  was  taught  to  dance,"  she 
said.  "First  they  go  to  the  hall,  and  then  they  go  to 
hell." 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


23 


Daisy  defended  her  favorite  character.  "  Any 
man,  "  she  said,  "  that  carries  a  lock  of  his  mother's 
white  hair  with  him  to  help  keep  him  straight  is  good 
enough  for  me,  I  guess.  " 

"  How  do  you  know  it  is  not  hair  of  some  old 
man's  beard  to  fool  you?  Or  some  goat — eh?  How 
do  you  know  it  make  him  keep  straight — eh?" 

Linevitch  began  to  mimic  the  quiet  voice  and  ele- 
gant manner  of  Barstow:  "Good  morning,  Miss 
Obloski.  I  have  just  given  one  dollar  to  a  poor 
cribble.  .  .  Oh,  how  do  you  do  to-day,  Miss  Ob- 
loski? My  mouth  is  full  of  butter,  but  it  don't  seem 
to  melt.  .  .  .  Oh,  Miss  Obloski,  I  am  ready  to 
faint  with  disgust.  I  have  just  seen  a  man  drink  one 
stein  of  beer.  I  am  a  temptation  this  evening — let 
me  just  look  in  dot  locket  and  save  myself.  " 

Daisy  was  not  amused.  She  was  even  angry  with 
Linnevitch,  but  too  gentle  to  show  it.  Presently  she 
said  good  night,  and  went  to  bed. 

"Now,  ''  said  Mrs.  Linnevitch,  "  She'll  go  with  that 
young  feller  sure.  The  way  you  mocked  him  made 
her  mad.  I've  got  eyes  in  my  head.  Whatever  she 
used  to  think,  now  she  think's  he's  a  live  saint." 

"  I  wonder  now,  "  said  Linnevitch.  A  few  minutes' 
wondering  must  have  brought  him  into  agreement 
with  his  wife,  for  presently  he  toiled  up  three  flights 
of  stairs,  and  knocked  at  Daisy's  door. 

"  Daisy,"  he  said. 

"What  is  it,  Mr.  Linnevitch?"  If  her  voice  had 
not  been  tearful  it  would  have  been  cold. 

The  man  winced.  "  Mebbe  that  young  feller  is 
O.  K.,"  he  said.  "  I  have  come  just  to  say  that. 
Mebbe  he  is.  But  you  just  let  me  look  him  up  a 
liddle  bit— eh?" 

He  did  not  catch  her  answer. 

"You  promise  me  that — eh?  Mrs.  Linevitch  and 
me,  we  want  to  do  what  is  right  and  best.  We  don't 
want  our  liddle  Daisy  to  make  no  mistakes." 

He  had  no  answer  but  the  sounds  that  go  with 
tears.  He  knew  by  this  that  his  mockings  and  in- 
sinuations had  been  forgiven. 


24 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


"Good  night,  liddle  girl,"  he  said.  "  Sleep  tight." 
His  own  voice  broke.  "  1  be  your  popper — eh!"  he 
said. 


To  Barstow's  surprise  and  disappointment,  when 
he  named  a  time  for  her  first  lesson  in  dancing 
Daisy  refused  to  go. 

"  Mrs.  Linnevitch  thinks  I  better  not  be  going  out 
nights,  Mr.  Barstbw,"  she  said.  "  But  thank  you 
ever  so  much,  all  the  same." 

"  Well,"  said  Barstow,  "  I'm  disappointed.  But 
that's  nothing,  if  you're  not." 

Daisy  blushed.    "  But  I  am,"  she  said. 

"  Then,"  said  he,  "  never  mind  what  they  say. 
Come  on !  " 

Daisy  shook  her  head.    "  1  promised." 

"Look  here,  Miss  Obloski,  what's  wrong?"  Let's 
be  honest,  whatever  else  we  are.  Is  it  because  they 
know  something  against  me,  because  they  think  they 
do,  or  because  they  know  that  they  don't?" 

"  It's  that,"  said  Daisy.  "  Mr.  Linnevitch  don't 
want  me  to  be  going  out  with  anyone  he  don't  know 
about." 

Barstow  was  obviously  relieved.  "  Thank  you," 
he  said.  "  That's  all  square  now.  It  isn't  Mrs. 
Linnevitch;  it's  the  boss.  It  isn't  going  out  in  gen- 
eral; it's  going  out  with  me!  " 

Then  he  surprised  her.  "  The  boss  is  absolutely 
right,"  he  said.  "  I'm  for  him,  and,  Miss  Obloski,  I 
won't  ask  you  to  trust  me  until  I've  proved  to  Linne- 
vitch that  I'm  a  proper  guardian — " 

"It's  only  Mr.  Linnevitch,"  said  Daisy,  smiling 
very  sweetly.  "  It's  not  me.  /  trust  you."  Her  eyes 
were  like  two  serene  stars. 

Barstow  leaned  closer  and  spoke  lower.  "  Miss 
Obloski,"  he  said,  "  Daisy  " — and  he  lingered  on  the 
name — "  there's  only  one  thing  you  could  say  that 
I'd  rather  hear." 

Daisy  wanted  to  ask  what  that  was.  But  there 
was  no  natural  coquetry  in  the  girl.  She  did  not 
dare. 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


25 


She  did  not  see  him  again  for  three  whole  days; 
but  she  fed  upon  his  last  words  to  her,  until  she  was 
ready,  and  even  eager,  to  say  that  other  thing  which 
alone  he  would  rather  hear  than  that  she  trusted  him. 

Between  breakfast  and  dinner  on  the  fourth  day 
a  tremendous  great  man,  thick  in  the  chest  and 
stomach,  wearing  a  frock  coat  and  a  glossy  silk  hat, 
entered  the  restaurant.  The  man's  face,  a  miracle  of 
close  shaving,  had  the  same  descending  look  of 
heaviness  as  his  body.  But  it  was  a  strong,  com- 
manding face  in  spite  of  the  pouched  eyes  and  the 
drooping  flesh  about  the  jaws  and  chin.  Daisy,  busy 
with  her  bookkeeping,  looked  up  and  smiled,  with 
her  strong  instinct  for  friendliness. 

The  gentleman  removed  his  hat.  Most  of  his  head 
was  bald.  "You'll  be  Miss  Obloski.  "  he  said.  "The 
top  o'  the  mornin'  to  you,  miss.  My  boy  has  often 
spoken  of  you.  I  call  him  my  boy  bekase  he's  been 
like  a  son  to  me — like  a  son.  Is  Linnevitch  in? 
Never  mind,  I  know  the  way." 

He  opened,  without  knocking  upon  it,  the  door 
which  led  from  the  restaurant  into  the  Linnevitch's 
partor.  Evidently  a  great  man.  And  how  beautifully 
and  touchingly  he  had  spoken  of  Barstow!  Daisy 
returned  to  her  addition.  Two  and  three  are  six  and 
seven  are  twelve  and  four  are  nineteen.  Then  she 
frowned  and  tried  again. 

The  great  man  was  a  long  time  closeted  with 
Linnevitch.  She  could  hear  their  voices,  now  loud 
and  angry,  now  subdued.  But  she  could  not  gather 
what  they  were  talking  about. 

At  length  the  two  emerged  from  the  parlor — 
Linnevitch  flushed,  red,  sullen,  and  browbeaten;  the 
stranger  grandly  at  ease,  an  unlighted  cigar  in  his 
mouth.  He  took  off  his  hat  to  Daisy,  bent  his  brows 
upon  her  with  an  admiring  glance,  and  passe'd  out 
into  the  sunlight. 

"Who  was  it?"  said  Daisy. 

"  That,"  said  Linnevitch,  "  is  Cullinan,  the  boss — 
Bull  Cullinan.  Once  he  was  a  policeman,  and  now 
he  is  a  millionaire." 


26  THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


There  was  a  curious  mixture  of  contempt,  of  fear, 
and  of  adulation  in  Linnevitch's  voice. 

"  He  is  come  here,"  he  said,  "  to  tell  me  about  that 
young  feller," 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Daisy.    "Mr.  Barstow?" 

Linnevitch  did  not  meet  her  eye.  "  I  am  wrong," 
he  said,  "  and  that  young  feller  is  O.  K." 

When  Daisy  came  back  from  her  first  dancing 
lesson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linnevitch  were  sitting  up  for 
her.  Her  gaiety  and  high  spirits  seemed  to  move  the 
couple,  especially  Linnevitch,  deeply.  He  insisted 
that  she  eat  some  crackers  and  drink  a  glass  of  milk. 
He  was  wonderfully  gentle,  almost  tender  in  his' 
manner;  but  whenever  she  looked  at  him  he  looked 
away. 

VI 

T  was  as  if  heaven  had  opened  before 
Daisy.  The  blood  in  her  veins  moved  to 
the  rythm  of  dance  music;  her  vision  was 
being  fed  upon  color  and  light.  And,  for 
she  was  still  a  child,  she  was  taken  great 
wonders  to  behold:  dogs  that  rode  upon  bicycles, 
men  who  played  upon  fifty  instruments,  clowns  that 
caused  whole  theatres  to  roar  with  laughter,  ladies 
that  dove  from  dizzy  heights,  bears  that  drank  beer, 
Apollos  that  seemed  to  have  been  born  turning  won- 
derful somersaults.  And  always  at  her  side  was  her 
man,  her  well-beloved,  to  explain  and  to  protect.  He 
was  careful  of  her,  careful  as  a  man  is  careful  who 
carries  a  glass  of  water  filled  to  overflowing  without 
losing  a  drop.  And  if  little  by  little  he  explained 
what  he  called  "  life  "  to  her,  it  was  with  delicacy, 
with  gravity — even,  as  it  seemed,  with  sorrow. 

His  kisses  filled  her  at  first  with  a  wonderful  ten- 
derness; at  last  with  desire,  so  that  her  eyes  nar- 
rowed and  she  breathed  quickly.  At  this  point  in 
their  relations  Barstow  put  off  his  pleading,  cajoling 
manner,  and  began,  little  by  little,  to  play  the  master. 
In  the  matter  of  dress  and  deportment  he  issued 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER  27 


orders  now  instead  of  suggestions;  and  she  only- 
worshipped  him  the  more. 

When  he  knew,  in  his  heart  that  she  could  refuse 
him  nothing  he  proposed  marriage.  Or  rather,  he 
issued  a  mandate.  He  had  led  her  to  a  seat,  after  a 
romping  dance.  She  was  highly  flushed  with  the 
exercise  and  the  contact,  a  little  in  disarray,  breath- 
ing fast,  a  wonderful  look  of  exaltation  and  promise 
in  her  face.  He  was  while,  as  always,  methodic  and 
cool — the  man  who  arranges,  who  makes  light  of 
difficulties,  who  gives  orders;  the  man  who  has 
money  in  his  pocket. 

"  Kid,"  he  whispered,"  when  the  restaurant  closes 
to-morrow  night  I  am  going  to  take  you  to  see  a 
friend  of  mine — an  alderman." 

She  smiled  brightly,  her  lips  parted  in  expectation. 
She  knew  by  experience  that  he  would  presently  tell 
her  why. 

"  You're  to  quit  Linnevitch  for  good,"  he  said. 
"  So  have  your  things  ready." 

Although  the  place  was  so  crowded  that  whirling 
couples  occasionally  bumped  into  their  knees  or 
stumbled  over  their  feet,  Barstow  took  her  hand 
with  the  naive  and  easy  manner  of  those  East-Siders 
whom  he  affected  to  despise. 

"You  didn't  guess  we  were  going  to  be  married  so 
soon,  did  you?"  he  said. 

She  pressed  his  hand.  Her  eyes  were  round  with 
wonder. 

"  At  first,"  he  went  on,  "  we'll  look  about  before 
we  go  to  housekeeping.  I've  taken  nice  rooms  for 
us — a  parlor  and  bedroom  suite.  Then  we  can  take 
our  time  looking  until  we  find  just  the  right  house- 
keeping flat. 

"  Oh,"  she  said,  "  are  you  sure  you  want  me?  " 

He  teased  her.  He  said,  "  Oh,  I  don't  know"  and 
"  I  wouldn't  wonder,"  and  pursed  up  his  lips  in 
scorn;  but  at  the  same  time  he  regarded  her  out  of 
the  corners  of  rougish  eyes.  "  Say,  Kid,"  he  said 
presently — and  his  gravity  betokened  the  importance 
of  the  matter — "  Cullinan's  dead  for  it.   He's  going 


28 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER 


to  be  a  witness,  and  afterward  he's  going  to  blow  us 
to  supper — just  us  two.    How's  that?" 

"Oh,"  she  exclaimed,  "that's  fine!" 

The  next  morning  Daisy  told  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linne- 
vitch  that  she  was  to  be  married  as  soon  as  the  res- 
taurant closed.  But  they  had  schooled  themselves 
by  now  to  expect  this  event,  and  said  very  little. 
Linnevitch,  however,  was  very  quiet  all  day.  Every 
now  and  then  an  expression  little  short  of  murder- 
ous came  into  his  face,  to  be  followed  by  a  vacant, 
dazed  look,  and  this  in  turn  by  sudden  uncontrollable 
starts  of  horror.  At  these  times  he  might  have  stood 
for  "Judas  beginning  to  realize  what  he  has  done." 

Barstow,  carrying  Daisy's  parcel,  went  out  first. 
He  was  always  tactful.  Daisy  flung  herself  into  Mrs. 
Linnevitch's  arms.  The  undemonstrative  woman 
shed  tears  and  kissed  her.  Linnevitch  could  not 
speak.  And  when  Daisy  had  gone  at  last,  the  couple 
stood  and  looked  at  the  floor  between  them.  So  I 
have  seen  a  father  and  mother  stand  and  look  into 
the  coffin  of  their  only  child. 

If  the  reader's  suspicions  have  been  aroused,  let 
me  set  them  at  rest.  The  marriage  was  genuine.  It 
was  performed  in  good  faith  by  a  genuine  alderman. 
The  groom  and  the  great  Mr.  Cullinan  even  went  so 
far  as  to  disport  genuine  and  generous  white  bouton- 
nieres.  Daisy  cried  a  little;  the  words  that  she  had 
to  say  seemed  so  wonderful  to  her,  a  new  revelation, 
as  it  were,  of  the  kingdom  and  glory  of  love.  But 
when  she  was  promising  to  cleave  to  Barstow  in 
sickness  and  peril  till  death  parted  them,  her  heart 
beat  with  a  great,  valiant  fierceness.  So  the  heart  of 
the  female  tiger  beats  in  tenderness  for  her  young. 

Barstow  was  excited  and  nervous,  as  became  a 
groom.  Even  the  great  Mr.  Cullinan  shook  a  little 
under  the  paternal  jocoseness  with  which  he  came 
forward  to  kiss  the  bride.  B 

There  was  a  supper  waiting  in  the  parlor  of  the 
rooms  which  Barstow  had  hired;  cold  meats,  salad, 
fruit,  and  a  bottle  of  champagne.  While  the  gentle- 
men divested  themselves  of  their  hats  and  overcoats 


THE  CLAWS  of  the  TIGER  29 


Daisy  carried  her  parcel  into  the  bedroom  and 
opened  it  on  the  bureau.  Then  she  took  of  her  hat 
and  tidied  her  hair.  She  hardly  recognized  the  face 
that  looked  out  of  the  mirror.  She  had  never,  before 
that  moment,  realized  that  she  was  beautiful,  that 
she  had  something  to  give  the  man  she  loved  that 
was  worth  giving.  Her  eyes  fell  upon  her  old  doll, 
the  companion  of  so  many  years.  She  laughed  a 
happy  little  laugh.  She  had  grown  up.  The  doll  was 
only  a  doll  now.  But  she  kissed  it,  because  she  loved 
it  still.  And  she  put  it  carefully  away  in  a  drawer, 
lest  the  sight  of  a  childishness  offend  the  lord  and 
master. 

As  she  passed  the  great  double  bed,  with  its  two 
snow-white  pillows,  her  knees  weakened.  It  was  Tike 
a  hint  to  perform  a  neglected  duty.  She  knelt,  and 
prayed  God  to  let  her  make  Barstow  happy  forever 
and  ever.  Then,  beautiful  and  abased,  she  joined  the 
gentlemen. 

As  she  seated  herself  with  dignity,  as  became  a 
good  housewife  presiding  at  her  own  table,  the  two 
gentlemen  lifted  their  glasses  of  champagne.  There 
was  a  full  glass  beside  Daisy's  plate.  Her  fingers 
closed  lightly  about  the  stem;  but  she  looked  to  Bar- 
stow  for  orders.    "Ought  I?"  she  said. 

"  Sure,"  said  he.  "  a  little  champagne — won't  hurt 
you." 

No,  Daisy;  only  what  was  in  the  champagne.  She 
had  her  little  moment  of  exhilaration,  of  self-delight- 
ing ease  and  vivacity — then  dizziness,  then  awful 
nausea,  and  awful  fear,  and  oblivion. 

The  great  Mr.  Cullinan — Bull  Cullinan — caught  her 
as  she  was  falling.  He  regarded  the  bridegroom  with 
eyes  in  which  there  was  no  expression  whatever. 

"  Get  out!  "  he  said. 

And  then  he  was  alone  with  her,  and  safe,  in  the 
dark  shadow  of  the  wings. 


